finally sawdust -- HF mill

[grouch]

[bluegrasscellular provides LOUSY internet service]

There's something not quite right with having a fixed scale but a sliding pointer on a square rod that moves with the head.

So, off with the pointer and make my own scale for the rod.

First, a red zone:



That "indicator" is a broken piece of a reciprocating saw blade with the teeth ground off. The hole is handy for running a sheet metal screw through to attach it to the square tube of the push handle. Where I've located the push handle, that surface is 43 inches above the bunks.

This is what makes that the red zone:



Blade is about 1-3/8" above the bunk; log stop at its lowest is 1-1/4".

Now the yellow zone:



This makes it the yellow zone:



That's straight up, but not telescoped. I don't telescope that thing anyway.

And the rest is green, right up to maximum:



Just needs measurements added, now.

[tnaz]

Man Grouch; neat and good job.  I like the color coding too.8)

[grouch]

Thanks tnaz.

I'm hoping the colors help postpone the day I cut the stops. The yellow zone covers the long backstops, too.

[Czech_Made]

Well done sir 

[grouch]

Thank you kindly.

I need to make an adjustable scale, too. It would be handy to be able to set '0' for, e.g., pith or top of a cant, etc.

[woodcat47]

Very much enjoyed the thread. I just got my first mill [Woodland Mills]. You're already way ahead of me on mill time [I work too much]. Great write up on the mill and your mods. Haven't made any yet on mine, but I only have 4 hours on it so far.

I too will be milling just about anything I can get my hands on, just need more time to do it and that's coming soon. Have fun with yours!

[grouch]

Thanks for the kind words.

Best I can tell, the Woodland Mills mill already has corrections for all the deficiencies of the Harbor Freight mill.  You'll probably be milling more than modding.

The HF mill is a good value (if they haven't raised the price too much). It's just like some other HF equipment, it needs some tweaking here and there.

There's a discussion thread on another site that has several tips for the HF mill. (I won't link to it because it includes some disparaging, unfair and unrefuted remarks against Woodland Mills). One comment there points to the Woodland Mills owner's manual -- full color and complete. It's good advertising because it gives graphic (pun intended) contrast to HF's mill and manual. Comparing the two manuals should be sufficient to let a buyer make an informed choice.